Pressure regulator



Feb. 19, 1952 Filed March 50, 1945 I Patented Feb. 19, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PRESSURE REGULATOR Verney F. Wells, Hampstead, N. 0.

Application March 30, 1945, Serial No. 585,658

This invention relates to a novel pressure regulator of extremely simple construction which receives a fluid such as steam under varying initial pressure at an inlet end thereof and releases the fluid at the outlet end of the regulator at a 'reduced pressure.

More particularly, it is an aim of the present invention to provide a regulator including enlarged chambers one communicating with the inlet thereof and the other communicating with the outlet having closure elements which are spring biased toward positions for closing the inlet and for closing a by-pass communicating with the outlet and With said inlet, and which is so constructed that less pressure is required to open the outlet end of the by-pass communicating with the outlet chamber than is required for opening the inlet, to thereby effect a reduction in the pressure of the fluid passing through said regulator.

A further object of the invention is to provide a regulator wherein a biasing action tending to close the inlet will be augmented by the fluid pressure in the by-pass which is released to the outlet chamber to cause an intermittent opening and closing of the element controlling the inlet of the regulator.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter become more fully ap-' parent from the following description of the drawing, illustrating a presently preferred embodiment thereof, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal substantially central sectional view partly in side elevation, and

Figure 2 is a fragmentary cross sectional 'view of the regulator taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 22 of Figure 1.

Referring more specifically to the drawing, an outlet end portion 2 of a conduit for supplying a fluid under pressure is illustrated in Figure 1, connected to a boss 3 of an angular head 4, which includes an inner conduit 5 extending longitudinally through and spaced from a tubular leg 6 of the head A! and which is disposed at Substantially a right angle to the other tubular leg I of the head 4. One end of the conduit 5 merges integrally with the inner end of the boss 3 and is preferably of a reduced diameter internally relatively to said boss.

A diaphragm casing composed of sections It and I5 is provided with a copper diaphragm l2 separating the sections, the peripheral portion of which is clamped by iastenings 13 between the flanged peripheral edges of said sections l4 and 15. The leg 6 of the head 4 is preferably formed 2 Claims. (01. 50-10) integral with and extends through the central portion of the outer casing section l4 so that the open end of said tubular leg 6 opens into the chamber of the casing I l, 15 defined by the diaphragm l2 and casing section Hi. The pipe or conduit 5 likewise extends into said chamber and to slightly beyond the open end of the leg ii. A plunger or valve member 8 is secured to the central portion of the diaphragm l2 and has one end normally seating against and closing the outlet end of the conduit 5, which is disposed in the casing I4, l5.

A second, larger diaphragm casing composed of sections 22 and 2t and which i designated generally 23, is likewise provided with a diaphragm 26, the peripheral portion of which is secured between peripheral ilanges of the casing sections 22 and 24 by fastenings 25.

The inner or adjacent sections 45 and 24 of the two diaphragm casings are rigidly connected in spaced relationship to one another by a pair of brace members 3| each of which is suitably secured at its ends to said casing sections it and 24. The brace members 3| are connected by a cross brace 32, adjacent the casing section I5. having a central opening through which a sleeve ll slidably extends. The sleeve H has a flanged end located between the cross member 32 and the casing section IE providing a seat for one end of an expansion spring is which is mounted on a portion of a rod 9. Said spring and the rod portion engaged thereby extend loosely through an opening ll in the casing section l5, and the opposite end of the spring Ill abuts against an end of the plunger 8, disposed opposite to the end thereof which engages the conduit 5. The end of the rod 9 which projects from the last mentioned end of the spring Iii extends slidably through the plunger 8 and has a relatively snug fitting engagement therewith.

The rod 9 has a threaded intermediate portion on which the sleeve i l is threadedly mounted and longitudinally adjustable for varying the tension on the spring Ill. A nut 35 threadedly engages the rod 3 and abuts against the end of the sleeve disposed remote to the spring l9, said nut and the flanged end of the sleeve forming stops for engaging opposite sides of the cross member 32 to limit sliding movement of the rod 9 therethrough.

An outlet conduit, designated generally 2%], has an inlet end 2| which extends through and is secured in a central opening in the outer casing section 22, said conduit end 2| terminating in spaced relationship to the diaphragm 2t.

' An'inner pipe 30 of substantially smaller exthe casing section 247 ternal diameter than the internal diameter of the outlet conduit 20 is disposed in the inlet end 2! thereof and has one end extending toward the diaphragm 26 and terminating slightly beyond said inlet end 2| and which is engaged by a valve element or plunger 29, which will hereinafter be described. The pipe 36 has a right angularly turned portion adjacent its opposite end which extends outwardly through the conduit end 2|, outwardly of the casing section 22 and which terminates in an internally threaded boss E9 to which is secured the outlet end of a by-pass conduit IS, the opposite end of which is secured to a restricted open end of the tubular leg 1 of the head 4.

The valve or plunger 29 is disposed between the diaphragm 26 and the pipe 30 and is secured against the central portion of the diaphragm 26 by a threaded end of a rod 2! which extends through the diaphragm and is threadedly connected to the plunger 29. A nut 28 is threaded onto the rod 2? against the opposite side of the diaphragm 26. The rod 21 extends from the diaphragm 26 loosely through a central opening of The rods 9 and 21 have adjacently disposed threaded ends which are positioned in aligned end-to-end relationship and which are connected by a turnbuckle 33. Each of said adjacent rod ends carries a jam nut 34 which abuts against an inner surface of the turnbuckle 33. The casing section I4 is preferably provided with a drain opening normally closed by a threaded. drain plug (1.

From the foregoing it will be readily apparent that the copper diaphragms l2 and 26 will normally assume their positions of Figure 1 to maintain the plungers or valves 8 and 29 in positions against the pipes 5 and 39, respectively, for closing the outlet ends of said pipes. The expansion spring [6 will additionally function to maintain the plungers in positions for closing the pipes 5 and 36 by directly biasing the plunger 8 against the outlet end of the pipe 5 and by urging the linkage 9, 33, 21 toward the plunger 29. Assuming that steam or any other fluid medium under pressure is being supplied through the conduit 2 to the pipe 5, as the steam pressure builds up in the pipe 5 it will eventually exert suflicient thrust against the area of the end portion of the plunger 8 which surrounds the rod 9 and which is surrounded by the end of the bore of the pipe 5 to displace the plunger 8 and diaphragm l2 away from the pipe or conduit 5 against the biasing action of the spring in to release the fluid medium under pressure into the chamber formed by the casing section it and diaphragm l2. The pressure medium will flow from this chamber through the head 4 and by-pass l8 into the pipe 30, the outlet end of which is closed by the valve or plunger 29. As the pressure increases in the by-pass l 8 and the chamber formed by the casin section l4 and diaphragm I2, the diaphragm I 2 will be distended somewhat toward the casing section [5, which movement will be resisted by the spring [6. As the steam or other fluid under pressure is released from the conduit 5 the steam pressure in said conduit will be diminished. Accordingly, when the steam pressure is built up sufficiently in the pipe 36 it will act on the valve or plunger 29 against the resiliency of the diaphragm 26 and the pressure of the spring I 6 which has been compressed somewhat by the movement of the plunger 8 to an open position, to overcome this resistance and to displace the valve or plunger 29 away from the pipe 30 to allow the steam to be released therefrom into the chamber formed by the diaphragm 26 and casing section 22. However, less pressure will be required to unseat the valve element 29 than was required to unseat the valve element 8 since the steam pressure in the pipe 30 acts upon an area of the element 29 corresponding to the cross sectional area of the bore of the pipe 30, whereas the steam pressure in the pipe 5 only acts upon an area of the plunger 8 corresponding to the cross sectional area of the bore of said pipe 5 less the cross sectional area of the rod 9, so that considerably less pressure is required to unseat the plunger 29 than was required to unseat the plunger 8. When the plunger 29 is thus unseated to release pressure'from the by-pass [8, this will reduce the pressure against the diaphragm I2 and produce a pressure against'the diaphragm 26 tending to displace it toward the casing section 24, which factors will combine with the spring to return the plunger 8 to a seated position closing the outlet of the conduit 5 until sufiicient pressure is again built up therein to again displace the plunger 8 away from the pipe 5. The steam or other medium under pressure under suitable control, not shown, is released from the chamber defined by the casing section 22 and diaphragm 26 through the outlet conduit 26 thus permitting the plunger 29 to be returned to a position for closing the pipe 30 by reduction of pressure in the by-pass [8, by the resiliency of the diaphragm 26 and by the pressure of the spring l6. After sufficient pressure has again been built up in the conduit 5 to unseat the plunger 8 from engagement with the outlet end of the pipe 5, the operation previously described will be repeated and it will thus be readily apparent that a reduction in pressure will be effected by the regulator, so that the steam passing outwardly through the conduit 20 will be at a pressure considerably less than the pressure of the steam supplied through the conduit 2. It will also be readily apparent that the steam will be intermittently released into the by-pass conduit 18 from the pipe 5 and intermittently released at a reduced pressure from the pipe 30 into the outlet conduit 20.

The pressures required to unseat the plungers 8 and 29 may be varied by adjustment of the sleeve l l to vary the tension of the spring l6, and the adjustment of the sleeve II and nut 35 will vary the extent that the central portions of the diaphragms I2 and 26 may be distended toward the casing sections [5 and 24 respectively. The extent of movement of the diap-hragms l2 and 26 and the amount of pressure required to unseat the plunger 29 may also be varied by adjustment of the turnbuckle 33 for lengthening or shortening the linkage 9, 33, 2'! between the diaphragms.

Various modifications and changes are contemplated and may obviously be resorted to, without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as hereinafter defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A fluid pressure reducing device comprising a fluid pressure supply conduit, a first chamber in communication with the outlet end of said supply conduit having a first diaphragm defining one wall thereof, an outlet conduit for the fluid pressure, a second chamber communicating with one end ofsaid outlet conduit having a wall defined by a second diaphragm, said diaphragms benig disposed in opposite relationship, said chambers each including a rigid wall portion, rigid connecting means extending between the 5 chambers and secured to the rigid wall portions thereof, a by-pass conduit connecting said chambers, an adjustable rigid linkage extending between said diaphragms, a valve element mounted on the first diaphragm and slidably engaging a portion of said linkage means for closingthe outlet end of the fluid supply conduit, a second valve element adjustably connected to the second diaphragm and to the opposite end of said linkage means for closing the outlet end of the by-pass conduit, a spring stop adjustably mounted on the linkage means, an expansion spring mounted on the linkage means bearing against the spring stop and the first mentioned valve element for normally retaining said valve element in a position for closing said supply conduit and the second valve element in a position to close the by-pass outlet, said rigid connecting means including a first portion engaged by the first mentioned valve element to limit movement of said valve element and the first diaphragm in a direction toward the second chamber for compressing the expansion spring, means adjustably mounted on the linkage means engaging a second portion of the rigid connecting means for limiting movement of the second valve element and linkage means toward the first chamber for compressing the spring, said first mentioned valve element being movable on the linkage means and against the action of said spring to permit the fluid medium to be released from the supply conduit and to pass through the by-pass conduit toward said outlet conduit, the pressure of the fluid medium in said by-pass conduit exerting a force against the second valve element to displace said valve element and the linkage means toward the first mentioned valve element and against the action of said expansion spring for unseating the second valve element to permit the fluid medium to be released into the second chamber for discharge through said outlet conduit while the first mentioned valve element is in either an open or a closed position, the area of the first mentioned valve element acted upon by the force of the pressure in the inlet conduit being substantially less than the area of the second valve element acted upon by the force of the pressure in the outlet end of the by-pass conduit, whereby less pressure is required to move the second valve element to an open position than is required to displace the first mentioned valve element to an open position, said second diaphragm being larger than the first diaphragm whereby when the second valve element is displaced to an open position the pressure in the second chamber acting on the second diaphragm will displace it toward the first chamber to load the spring for urgin the first mentioned valve element toward a closed position.

2. A fluid pressure reducing device as in claim 1, and means for varying the length or" the linkage means between the spring stop and second valve element for varying the pressure required to unseat said second valve element.

VERNEY F. WELLS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 845,708 Fulton Feb. 26, 1907 1,527,584 Goosmann Feb. 24, 1925 1,651,507 Blomquist Dec. 6, 1927 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 440,227 France of 1912 

